Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

He really is that stupid.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

White supremacy is terrorism.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

So fucking stupid, and still doing a tremendous amount of damage.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

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End Timeline (Open Thread)

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Didn’t expect Charlize Theron to turn up in today’s Armageddon-infused Twitter trends, but so be it:

This Trump madness is all just so damned exhausting.

Let’s expand our universe of topics. Anyone read a good book, seen a great movie, discovered a new band or heard a hilarious joke lately? Also, I’m in a “show hole” since the end of Years and Years and Big Little Lies, not to mention still suffering Game of Thrones withdrawals. Any recommendations?

This is an open thread that is not limited to the above topics. Feel free to discuss anything, even The Beast.

Reader Interactions

246Comments

  1. 1.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    I am bereft at the end of Years and Years. It was so excellent that I really miss watching it.

  3. 3.

    JustRuss

    Nice title. I’ve been playing Fallout and reading about the run-up to Armageddon, and there’s more similarities between our timelines than I’m comfortable with. At least without a suit of power armor.

  4. 4.

    humboldtblue

    Liverpool host Arsenal on Saturday morning (9:30 a.m. PST), Betty, and the Reds are unbeaten and the reigning European champs.

    So there’s that (And Amir Kalid is a HUGE Reds fan).

    I’m re-reading the Aubrey-Maturin series as well, I would recommend the series very much, it’s some wonderful historical fiction.

  5. 5.

    Damned_at_Random

    I’m re-reading All Creatures Great and Small and really loving it. I may read the whole series and hope it takes me to the next election, when I can start reading the paper again.

    If you’ve never seen Shaun of the Dead, it’s my favorite (somewhat) recent comedy

  7. 7.

    Cheryl Rofer

    I highly recommend “That Pärt Feeling: The Universe of Arvo Pärt”, a documentary which is mosly people saying how wonderful he is. American musical organizations tend to play only his religious music, but the movie had a far greater variety. I had thought, because of that limited repetoire, that he was rather boring, but I’m going to have to look more carefully at him.

    Also: Playing Ravel’s “In the Manner of Borodine” at my piano lesson this afternoon. Have been struggling with it for a while. Hope to make a run at it and get it learned.

  9. 9.

    Phylllis

    I am currently listening to Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia by Christina Thompson and narrated by Australian actress Sue Lyons, about who first settled the islands and how they got there. Amazing.

    Also, really enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody. Come at me bro.

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    @Litlebritdifrnt:
    That was some compelling teevee and as I noted when halfway through, seemed more documentary than dystopian entertainment. “We’ve determined that you have room for another family in this house” indeed.

    Now watching season #2 of “Succession” w/o having seen #1. Luckily, it stands pretty much on its own but there are a lot of dang plot holes I need to fill. Nevertheless, excellent show that could also be called “The Lannisters build a media empire.”

  11. 11.

    Jerry

    @JR:

    Los Espookys is hilarious

    Indeed it is. Watch that show and then follow it up with Julio Torres’s (one of the stars of Los Espookys) stand-up special, “My Favorite Shapes.” Both things are quietly, unassuming, slow-burn hilarious. Patience is your best guide

  12. 12.

    Lee

    For a fun SciFi series of books try Expeditionary Force.

    Book 8 just released and the final book is out in December.

    Lots of fun. Great reads

  13. 13.

    hells littlest angel

    Two great shows that aren’t getting much buzz in the US: Endeavour and Line Of Duty.

  14. 14.

    Quinerly

    @Damned_at_Random: Remember reading that series in high school. Think there were TV movies at the time. When I was young I wanted to be a vet. Loved those books. Now you got me thinking I might read them again.

  15. 15.

    Damien

    Just rewatched The Big Sleep, and I’d you’re into Noir and incredible dialogue I can’t recommend it highly enough.

    Also read a book about words called Etymologicon, and I’d recommend that too, if you’ve ever been curious about why you can be befuddled but not just fuddled, or how Mt. Vernon and groggy are connected.

  19. 19.

    Spanky

    I see that Sean Spicer is on this season’s Dancing With the Stars, which seems appropriate for an End Times thread.

  21. 21.

    trollhattan

    @humboldtblue:
    NWSL’s Portland host Chicago on ESPN this weekend and by then, Chicago will be only one point behind in the table presuming they take care of last-place Orlando tonight. Sam Kerr versus everybody! Will be interested to see Parsons’ back line–three or four against the Aussie?

  22. 22.

    Shana

    Hubby and I are enjoying Call My Agent, a french TV show about a company of talent agents. It is, I believe 4 seasons and subtitled.

    The four main characters all have their areas of expertise and experience and real French actors and actresses play themselves in various episodes. It’s really good.

  24. 24.

    Origuy

    I’m finally getting around to reading the Harry Potter books. I read the first one a long time ago. Then I started Prisoner of Azkaban, not knowing there was a book in between. It didn’t make any sense so I put it down and never went back. Lately I got the whole package on Kindle. I’m now at the start of the fourth book, Goblet of Fire, so I have a long way to go. I got bored with Pokemon Go and started the Harry Potter Wizards Unite game. It has a lot of references to later books and a few spoilers.

  25. 25.

    Patricia Kayden

    Binge watch Westworld if you have HBO. I have absolutely loved seasons one and two and am looking forward to see how next season goes.

  26. 26.

    Ohio Mom

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Weren’t we going to hear about husband’s visa about now? My memory isn’t what it used to be but I know something important was happening soon. Still crossing fingers, toes, etc. for you two.

  28. 28.

    MattF

    I’m waiting for season 3 of ‘The Good Place’ to show up on Netflix– history suggests it will be in September. I’ve also subscribed to the Criterion Channel, and when I’m feeling less (farty noise here) I’ll watch some classics.

  29. 29.

    Jeffro

    @Jerry: We have a volume of Squirrel Girl here at the house, for my kiddos. (SURE it’s for my kiddos)

    Personally, I’ve been re-reading some Iron Fist and Black Panther collections. You know, the more mature stuff ;)

  30. 30.

    frosty

    Good book and a must-read for any blues fan: Up Jumped the Devil, a biography of Robert Johnson. Forget everything you ever heard, it’s been myths and misinformation for 80 years. The authors had been independently researching his life since the 1960s and finally collaborated on this book. Interviews with family, girlfriend, son, musicians, etc. An eclectic musical genius, those 29 recordings were a small fraction of what he could play, but at least we have those.

  31. 31.

    realbtl

    Though it is often a little too close to current reality I’m slowly working my way through Richard Evan’s Third Reich trilogy. Looking at Nazi-ism from the point of society; arts, finance, business etc. Huge (Thank god for iphone) but great airplane/waiting room reading.

  32. 32.

    Turgidson

    The Expanse is good if you haven’t already watched it. Haven’t read the books it’s based on, but the they’re fairly well regarded too I believe.

    My wife can’t stop raving about Dark, a German sci fi/time travel show on Netflix, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

  34. 34.

    Jeffro

    Apropos of nothing (but since this is an OT): the WaPo has an op-ed up by Mitch Daniels on why we need a “Democratic Richard Nixon” yes really what you have to be kidding.

    By a “DRN”, he means someone willing to buck his party’s orthodoxy. You know, basically be a Republican. Since Nixon was ok with the EPA and all.

    Yes, Mitch, that’s just what this country needs. Lemme run it by President-Pre-Elect Warren and get back to you, oh, never.

  35. 35.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud:

    THE MESS BOYS ATE THE STRAWBERRIES!

    I won’t stand for anything that diminishes Bogart’s performance.

    And he’s damn good in Sabrina too!

  38. 38.

    trollhattan

    re. books, about halfway through the Chernow Grant bio. War has ended and Lincoln has been assassinated (what a shockingly brief interval) and Grant is figuring out how to work with Johnson and honor the Appomattox agreements. It’s taking me forever but is a very good read and I have a vastly greater understanding of and appreciation for the man.

  40. 40.

    Gin & Tonic

    Anyone read a good book

    I can heartily recommend Salvatore Scibona’s The Volunteer. I don’t read a lot of fiction, but it had some buzz, and I’m very glad I read it. Not necessarily uplifting (no spoilers) – pretty bleak actually, most of the time, but challenging and beautifully written.

  41. 41.

    Brachiator

    @humboldtblue:

    I’m re-reading the Aubrey-Maturin series as well, I would recommend the series very much, it’s some wonderful historical fiction.

    I recently re-watched the Russell Crowe film, “Master and Commander,” a fine adaptation of a couple of the novels. I didn’t know the books before, and the movie actually inspired me to read the entire series.

  42. 42.

    Damned_at_Random

    @Quinerly: There was a BBC series IIRC. It may have run on PBS, but our PBS reception sucked so I didn’t watch much back then. Its been 30+ years since I read the books and I’ve honestly forgotten almost everything. Like watching a movie you saw long ago and realizing you’ve forgotten all the subplots

  45. 45.

    syphonblue

    Anyone read a good book

    *runs in like a whirlwind* *huff huff huff* READ THE RED RISING SERIES *runs back out*

  46. 46.

    Ohio Mom

    Even as I type this, a structural engineer is measuring and photographing the basement. We’ve been through this before with other structural engineers and contractors, and still the house moves and cracks appears.

    I’m very tired of this never quite fixed basement of ours. I’d call it quits but the plan is to downsize in eight or ten years. Even though I don’t care about the cracks and the doors that stick, any buyer will.

    Do you hear a faint sound of tons of money being spent? That’s the Ohio Family’s bank account being emptied.

  47. 47.

    MattF

    @realbtl: For current history, I’d strongly suggest Stephen Kotkin’s biography of Stalin. The first two volumes are published, the third will come out when it comes out.

    However, you can get a preview of Kotkin’s view of ‘Stalin at War’ in this video of a lecture at the IAS:

    youtube.com/watch?v=1NV-hq2akCQ

  49. 49.

    trollhattan

    @Jeffro:
    Uhhhhh [thumps off of floor].

    Remind me who Mitch Daniels is? He’s in dire need of a dopeslap and I have an open afternoon.

    Hey Democrats, how about something we like to call “The Southern Strategy?”

  50. 50.

    Spanky

    A book kept popping up in the footnotes of a book on Southern Furniture, so I got it and am leisurely making my way through it. Tobacco and Slaves by Alan Kulikoff. Concentrates on the early colonial period on Virginia and Maryland. Dense, and now I have to get 1619? One at a time, please.

  51. 51.

    zhena gogolia

    @Phylllis:

    That episode was fantastic!!!!! And I learned a new word, “degüello.”

    I’m enjoying The Prime Minister by Trollope. But you kind of have to read the other Palliser novels first in order to get it.

  52. 52.

    Miss Bianca

    For fans of “Veronica Mars” – I know you’re out there! – there are a couple books that take place in the interval between the movie and what (I gather) is a fourth TV season. “The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line” being the first one. Surprisingly fun and quick read, great for a mid-afternoon “I’ve got allergy sniffles and I’m feeling grumpy and sleepy” reading binge. That was my experience, anyway. Only real quibble is that I thought it ought to have been told in the first person, because a big part of VM’s appeal is that noir-detective narration.

    Gonna find the second one.

    And now for the joke:

    Penguin walks into a bar and asks the bartender: “Have you seen my brother?”

    Bartender says: “I dunno, what’s he look like?”

    *crickets*

    OK, to quote the late, great Johnny Carson: “See, the reason that’s funny – “

  53. 53.

    westyny

    Highly recommend Alan Furst’s WWII espionage novels. Read them in order, starting with Night Soldiers.

  54. 54.

    delk

    It’s been one week since my hip replacement and no real complaints. A little sore yesterday and today but I have been lax in icing it. Took my first shower this morning and that felt great. A walk limp in the park compared to rotator cuff surgery.

    Been enjoying Johnny Marr’s New album ‘Call the Comet’. Caught up on the new season of Killjoys last night and probably will start the second season of Mindhunter next. Reading “Sacre Bleu” by Christopher Moore.

  55. 55.

    humboldtblue

    @Brachiator:

    I am still angry at Crowe for that movie and I didn’t get past the first 20 minutes (I just couldn’t get past the tall guy who was supposed to be Maturin who in the book is small, pale, messy and unkempt), but many fans of the series said he did a good job for what it’s worth so I don’t rant and rail as I used to.

    The series is well worth a read, however.

  56. 56.

    MattF

    @Miss Bianca: Duck walks into a pharmacy.

    Duck: May I have a box of c*ndoms?
    Pharmacist: Should I put that on your bill?
    Duck: What kind of duck to you think I am?

  57. 57.

    Starfish

    I am going to recommend Killing Eve.

    I am reading the 1619 magazine from the New York Times. I am on page 40. It tied patriotism to blackness in the first long essay and tied capitalism to slavery in the second one.

    I am reading Denialism, and it comes after the Denialists a little too quickly. I would like there to be a book that they would pick up and read and reconsider their ways than a book that identifies what team you are own without working to change some minds.

  62. 62.

    Miss Bianca

    @humboldtblue: I love the series *and* the movie. I’d say, “fight me,” but I’m a wuss, unlike the Maturin in question.

    The movie also serves as a Gateway Drug to the books, at least in a number of cases among my acquaintance.

  64. 64.

    dlw32

    Books: I’ll always recommend Guy Gavriel Kay as my favorite author. Just delightful prose and characters. He has his own universe where he places fanciful but well-researched versions of historical times. For example Lions of Al-Rassan is set in the counterpart of Moorish Spain with the kalifs are in decline. All the proper names change but the spirit of the place and time are kept.
    The Lions of Al-Rassan made me outright cry. Last Light of the Sun is great if you’re into English/Welsh/Viking lore.

  65. 65.

    MisterForkbeard

    Digby has an excerpt from an article about truckers who’ve realized Trump is screwing them. This bit stood out to me, from someone who is a “lifelong conservative”:

    “He has not affected our business in a positive way,” said one truck driver who asked to be quoted anonymously for fear their small business might suffer. “He’s killing our business. If consumers aren’t buying, then there is no demand. This really isn’t about my political leanings — it’s pure business.”

    You know what the really dumb thing is? This IS politics. This is what conservative policies get you. They screw you so that the rich can do slightly better. I’m sorry that they’re going through this stuff, but this is literally what he’s been voting for and this is the first time that Democrats can’t protect him from his own choices. He’ll go back to supporting Republicans again in a heartbeat.

  66. 66.

    Miss Bianca

    @David Koch: I can’t tell if you’re joking or serious!

    (Still in love with the original Bad News Bears. Spent many long hours with my brother trying to become a killer pitcher like the Jodie Foster character. Imagine my disillusionment when I discovered that all the pitching had been done by stunt boys in blonde wigs).

  67. 67.

    humboldtblue

    @Miss Bianca:

    The movie also serves as a Gateway Drug to the books

    I have had more than one person tell me they got to the series through the movie and that’s another reason I no longer go ful-out hate on Crowe.

    (I’m currently with Jack And Stephen in the Baltic where Stephen negotiates the return of the Catalan troops)

  68. 68.

    Betty Cracker

    @trollhattan: HBO sure wants me to watch Succession, but I’ve avoided it because I already want to run around kicking rich people in the junk, and I don’t want to exacerbate that condition.

    @Patricia Kayden: Already binged!

  70. 70.

    donnah

    I highly recommend Mindhunter, which came out last year and Season Two dropped last week. Fascinating, detailed, brilliant cast. It’s based on the development of research about serial killers by the FBI. It’s great!

  71. 71.

    Citizen Alan

    @MisterForkbeard:

    I’m sorry that they’re going through this stuff

    I’m not. I hope they lose everything. And then spend the rest of their lives begging Democrats to protect the safety net so they don’t starve in a gutter.

  72. 72.

    J R in WV

    In the wake of Mary Robinette Kowal winning the Hugo, the Nebula AND the Locus prixes for Science Fiction, I have bought some of her work for my Tablet.

    I started with her Regency fantasy of the world of Jane Austin with an odd type of magic… a 5 volume set. It’s very well done, a little heavy going for me as I never liked actual Jane Austin fiction, but the characters are interesting so I’m keeping on with it OK. I plan to do her Lady Astronauts as soon as I finish the Regency novels. I’m into the second volume now. The first one is “Shades of Milk and Honey” and the set is called “The Glamorist Histories.”

    Glamour is the Magic part of the fantasy.

    I’ve diverted quite a bit into fiction, except for spending time here. We’ve also had a lot of outdoor work being done. Last week huge tree removal job, this week construction of a long graveled path from the parking area around and up to the front door. AND rebuilding a pond between the front door and the rock wall of the mountainside.

    The pond is both entertaining and functional, as a year or so after the building excavation was completed a brand new spring sprang into being, out of the rock wall mountainside. It was plugged by clay subsoil, until we bulldozed most of that out of the way of the water.

    Now in rainy spells you can hear water gurgling back inside the hill, and the pond catches that water and diverts it away from the house and foundation, down the hill in a gutter lined with field stones. The frogs of the Appalachian mountains love the pond too, which is sweet to hear especially in the spring. So that’s exciting, as well.

  73. 73.

    ruemara

    @Damned_at_Random: Shaun of the Dead is a great movie. And I do like the whole cornetto trilogy.

    I once was declared “Person to follow in the zombie apocalypse”, so there’s that. Still auditioning like a mad woman. The grind gets old. I need to get a few more paid gigs, both for the wallet’s sake and to show some bona fides to get an agent.

    @Citizen Alan: Same.

  74. 74.

    Sure Lurkalot

    I love the podcast Ear Hustle, about life inside (and in the most recent season) outside of San Quentin. The episodes are 30-45 minutes and cover a wide range of topics. Some episodes make you laugh, some cry, some both.

    While not the most recent book I’ve read, I found Dreamland by Sam Quinones quite informative. It is primarily about the nexus between the opioid epidemic and the marketing of black tar heroin from one very specific region in Mexico. It does go into the genesis of how opioids became more mainstream based on a study in the 80’s (if I recall correctly) that was misconstrued as to addiction and taken out of context.

  75. 75.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Jerry: Squirrel Girl is *fantastic*. Worth reading for everyone.

    It’s written by Ryan North, who’s famous for awesome but off-kilter writing. Examples:

    * Dinosaur Comics, where he uses the same art for literally every comic but has over 2,700 strips. They’re often fantastic.
    * The brains behind the collection ‘Machine of Death’, in which many different writers wrote stories where the only constant is that there’s a machine that can give you a one sentence description of how you die (but not when)
    * Wrote the Adventure Time comic series, which won an Eisner Award and a Harvey Award
    * Wrote a fantastic choose-your-own-adventure of Hamlet (To Be or Not to Be: That Is the Adventure) which is stupidly amazing. One of the 60 or so endings is Hamlet and Ophelia teaming up to become ninjas and ‘win’ the story by stealthily murdering all the antagonists.

    Well worth following.

  77. 77.

    PaulWartenberg

    They announced the XFL teams this morning and… they’re naming Tampa Bay the VIPERS?!

    I am already nostalgic for the AAF.

    I think McMahon is doing this on trump’s orders so he can REALLY screw over the USFL fanbase still pining for Banditball

  78. 78.

    Brachiator

    I ran across this clip of former Beatle George Harrison being interviewed by Dick Cavett. Really appreciate Harrison’s honesty and his generosity of spirit. He praises Monty Python and musician Ravi Shankar, and is quietly insightful about a superstar lifestyle.

    youtu.be/y_3vs3zFA3E

  79. 79.

    Duane

    Im old enough to remember when Lennon somehow compared the Beatles to Jesus and people burned their records.
    Now a joke as requested, regarding Michael Epstein’s estate. What the difference between a leech and a lawyer? When you die, the leech lets go.
    I’ll be leaving now.

  80. 80.

    The Dangerman

    OK, I guess I don’t speak Twitter well enough; can someone translate all that shit for me?

  84. 84.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Miss Bianca: There’s an interview of Tatum O’Neal (not Jodie Foster) on Larry King were she says she did most of the pitching and only a few stand-in were used.

    Love to see Rapinoe as Kelly Leak

  85. 85.

    MisterForkbeard

    TV show recommendation: American Vandal on Netflix. A docu-drama in the vein of Making a Murderer, except it’s done by (in-fiction) high school kids investigating high school crimes they think are really important. It’s extremely well written and though the crimes they investigate are juvenile, the actual story is very adult and has a lot of depth.

    In the first season, they investigate who spray-painted 27 dicks onto cars in the Teacher’s parking lot at a high school.

    In the second season, they investigate a series of poop-related pranks, beginning with someone putting laxatives into the school’s lemonade dispenser and causing a school-wide ‘brown-out’.

    Really very good. Go watch.

  87. 87.

    Ivan X

    I can’t believe no one has mentioned The Good Fight. It’s fantastic! And smart.
    And relevant. And cathartic. And frustrating. And hilarious. The credit sequence alone never fails to thrill me. Well worth a sub to CBS All Access for one month (or 7 days free if you really binge it fast. Which you could.)

  88. 88.

    trollhattan

    @Betty Cracker:
    Heh.

    Similarly, I hesitated before recording “The Righteous Gemstones” but with John Goodman how can you not? Anyway, it’s so vastly broad and the characters are so damn vile to one another it was pretty darn entertaining; especially how they’ve chosen to live their prosperity gospel lives. Matching Gulfstreams, matching Merc G-wagons, not-so-matching McMansions….

  89. 89.

    Bill Arnold

    @MattF:

    May I have a box of c*ndoms?

    Obligatory warning – do not search for “duck penises”. You have been warned.

  90. 90.

    Yarrow

    Anyone in search of a comedy with a heart I can recommend “What We Did on Our Holiday.” The actors are great–Billy Connolly, David Tennant, Rosamund Pike. The story is sweet, silly, sad at times, and funny at others. If you’ve ever seen the British show “Outnumbered,” it’s the same guys who created and directed it. The kids ad lib, at least to a certain extent, like they did on that show. It’s not a perfect film but it’s fun and sweet and even thoughtful at times. Anyone who’s got any sort of tension in their family will definitely recognize some of their own life in the film.

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    @Ohio Mom:

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Weren’t we going to hear about husband’s visa about now?

    If Litlebritdifrnt is already gone, visa was approved, hubby now planned to arrive Aug 31st I think… IIRC. So all good there!!

  92. 92.

    MisterForkbeard

    @syphonblue: Oh! That was a decent series. Surprisingly much better than the teen dystopia I was expecting from the first book. Solid sci-fi.

  93. 93.

    trollhattan

    @PaulWartenberg:
    Cannot for the life of me figure out why they keep throwing NFL competing leagues onto that bonfire of fail, thinking that THIS time it’ll really, really not burn to a crisp.

    [Written with the presumption that they’re primarily grifting schemes.]

    We’ve had a couple of those leagues present in this berg and I went to games for both. One featured the most distinctly drunken crowd I’ve ever experienced at a sporting event, with people…okay, dudes openly swigging from full-sized liquor bottles, which would at some point would rattle past our feet down the paving beneath the bleachers, some empty and some merely escaping captivity.

  96. 96.

    zhena gogolia

    @Phylllis:

    Thanks — I’d better not get into that blog. I see the phrases “Dead on Time” and “Promised Land” and that’s all she wrote!

    But it did tell me, sadly, why the music on Endeavour is no longer by Barrington Pheloung. He’s no longer with us. So sad.

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    @humboldtblue:

    I am still angry at Crowe for that movie and I didn’t get past the first 20 minutes (I just couldn’t get past the tall guy who was supposed to be Maturin who in the book is small, pale, messy and unkempt)

    Paul Bettany is a very good actor, and he and Crowe both inhabited their roles very well, and their interaction was very good and true to the spirit of the novels. In fact, the entire cast was great.

    I generally don’t try to match the people in a film or tv show with how they are “supposed” to look based on the novel. But I was helped because I didn’t know the novels at all, and had not read much historical fiction.

    Oddly enough, I didn’t really carry what the actors looked like into the novels. Every now and then, I think that a film or tv show actually improves on the way a character is depicted in a novel.

    In any event I recommend both the film and the novels.

  100. 100.

    Yarrow

    @The Dangerman: Trump thinks he’s the King of Israel/King of the Jews, which also makes him the Antichrist. All those things are trending. In the middle of all that hellscape, Charlize Theron shows up because she’s in a new movie about Fox News scandal where she stars as Megyn Kelly.

  101. 101.

    Immanentize

    I know this is old news, but the Immp and I have been watching “Drunk History.” It is so funny, so well done, with swearing and belching!

    For the Hamilton fans, check out the episode with a properly tipsy Lin-Manuel Miranda. It may include Questlove…. So much fun distraction. The Immp pulled a muscle laughing (Busted a gut?)

  103. 103.

    JoyceH

    Try the Temeraire series- even people who don’t usually read fantasy will like it. It’s a seven book series, the Napoleonic Wars, but with dragons. First book is His Majesty’s Dragon.

  104. 104.

    mrmoshpotato

    I highly recommend The Good Place. Seasons 1 and 2 are on Netflix, and I would expect season 3 to be added once the final season starts in September.

    The podcast 99 Percent Invisible highlights things in the world that we don’t think about like industrial design.

    Simon Pegg’s and Nick Frost’s 2007 movie Paul is pretty funny.

    And there’s always baseball.

  105. 105.

    trollhattan

    Interesting email phrasing from a diagnostic lab.

    If you suspect that you or a family member may have symptoms or be at risk, you can purchase your own test for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, discretely and securely, through QuestDirect.*

    “Should you not want your family/cult to know you’re getting checked for resistance to these communicable diseases, press 7.”

  106. 106.

    Ascap_scab

    Amazon Prine has a Canadian sitcom called Corner Gas. One of the few sitcoms that I’ve actually laughed at.

    Set in the small town of DogRiver, Saskatchewan, Brett is the owner of the only gas station for 40 miles around. The adjoining cafe is run by Lacy who just moved in from Toronto after her late aunt willed it to her. Other cast regulars include Brett’s parents Oscar and Emma, Brett’s friend Hank, gas station cashier Wanda, and the town’s police officers Davis and Karen.

    The show’s theme song pretty well lays it out.

    You think there’s not a lot going on
    But look closer baby, you’re so wrong
    That’s why you can stay so long
    When there’s not a lot going on.

  107. 107.

    trollhattan

    @Immanentize:
    Love and utterly hooked on “Drunk History” going back to its Funny or Die web roots.

    It hasn’t gotten old because they have a very large, far-reaching net that hauls in a lot of very…entertaining? narrators. Plus a surprising number of A-list actors enjoying themselves miming the lines.

  110. 110.

    The Dangerman

    @Yarrow:

    In the middle of all that hellscape, Charlize Theron shows up because she’s in a new movie about Fox News scandal where she stars as Megyn Kelly.

    OK, cool, thanks, but what does Charlize Theron or Megyn Kelly have to do with the AntiChrist? I don’t see the connection (other then Ms. Theron was in “Devils Advocate”, which was a pretty twisted movie).

    If we are in the era of the AntiChrist, isn’t Rapture (non-Blondie edition) right around the corner? And if we have Rapture and all of Trump’s voters go poof, well, too bad for him, huh?

    I’m beginning to think that things are going to get so bad in the polls that Trump might pull a Johnson (now, THERE’S an image). I mean, stand down for re-election. I don’t think his psyche can afford losing and he’ll do the “I was the greatest President ever, you don’t deserve me, and fuck all of you” speech and retire to a golf course (after pardoning himself, of course).

  111. 111.

    humboldtblue

    @Brachiator:

    Oh, plenty of fans of the book and movie have hammered me for my dislike of Crowe’s movie and they have also pointed out he borrows from the first few books of the series for the movie.

  112. 112.

    Steve in the ATL

    @humboldtblue: my marketing department is very concerned about brand dilution. My legal department is preparing a TRO. This will not stand!

  113. 113.

    Brachiator

    Mentioned this before, but offer it again as related to the 1619 project:

    I highly recommend Meghna Chakrabarti’s Interview with David Blight, author of the recent Frederick Douglass biography, on the NPR program On Point. The host clearly knows a lot about Douglass and reads some well chosen excerpts from his autobiographies. I think this encourages Blight bring his A game to the interview, and to try to give the audience a vivid sense of Douglass’ life and times. And Blight’s discussion of Douglass’ Fourth of July speech and its impact on its audience is really amazing.

    On Point is available as a podcast and also probably at the sites for NPR and WBUR.

    I get the impression that this interview was a rebroadcast, and may be available here. You can listen, download or read the transcript.

    amp.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/07/24/frederick-douglass-biography-david-blight

  114. 114.

    MattF

    @JoyceH: Also, note— the author of that series, Naomi Novik, has written two terrific stand-alone novels, Uprooted and Spinning Silver.

  115. 115.

    Boudica

    First season of Derry Girls on Netflix. Enjoyed season 2, but not as much as season 1. Took me a full episode before I fully understood the Irish accents!

  116. 116.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ascap_scab:

    I have the entire series on DVD and binge it every couple of years. It’s wonderful, especially since I had previously seen several of the cast members in various roles at the Stratford Festival. Just a delight.

  117. 117.

    randy khan

    I’ve read a ton of Margaret Atwood over the years, but somehow never read The Blind Assassin until a few weeks ago. Wow, that woman can write.

  118. 118.

    J R in WV

    @Miss Bianca:

    Spent many long hours with my brother trying to become a killer pitcher like the Jodie Foster character. Imagine my disillusionment when I discovered that all the pitching had been done by stunt boys in blonde wigs…

    You should have gotten a blonde wig and given it another try!! ;-)

  119. 119.

    Brachiator

    @humboldtblue:

    Oh, plenty of fans of the book and movie have hammered me for my dislike of Crowe’s movie and they have also pointed out he borrows from the first few books of the series for the movie.

    I would never hammer you over matters of taste.

    The translation from book to screen can be very interesting, even for creators. Ian Fleming originally imagined James Bond to be a cross between Hoagy Carmichael and David Niven. But he was later so impressed with how Sean Connery embodied the role that he retconned some of Connery’s Scottish background into Bond’s family history.

  120. 120.

    Mnemosyne

    @realbtl:

    True story: I once met up with a first date while I was doing a lot of reading on Nazi history, and the book I was reading while I waited for him at our first in-person meeting had a big swastika on the cover.

    He married me anyway. ?

  122. 122.

    Old School

    @The Dangerman:

    OK, I guess I don’t speak Twitter well enough; can someone translate all that shit for me?

    It’s a listing of popular topics on Twitter.

  123. 123.

    karen marie

    I’m late to the party but do I have a recommendation for YOU!

    If you like the Great British Bake-Off, you’re going to love The Great Pottery Throw Down!

    I would love to move back to Tacoma, Washington so I could resume making pots under my old pottery teacher at Tacoma Community College. Ooooh! Anyone up there have a room I can rent?

    Well, if I can’t make pots, at least I can watch them being made now.

  124. 124.

    Jay

    Evangelicals, pre-2016: The Antichrist is coming! Beware for it is written that the beast shall declare himself king in Israel; he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god!!

    Trump, 2019: I'm the King of Israel

    Evangelicals, 2019: lol, that guy!!— Josh (@joshnorthsouth) August 21, 2019

  125. 125.

    cope

    TV worth watching: “Schitt’s Creek”; funny, clever and has a big heart. The first 4 seasons are on Netflix, all 5 are on POP network. The 6th and final season starts in, I believe, January.

    Books: Just picked up the latest from my favorite astrophysicist, Lee Smolin. It’s titled “Beyond Einstein’s Revolution: The Search for for What Lies Beyond the Quantum”. To me, Smolin is the easiest to read of the brainy types putting out books for an audience that includes us general folk.

  126. 126.

    J R in WV

    @Duane:

    Michael Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.

    FTFY

    Who is Michael Epstein, anyhow?

    But the leech joke is good, very good!

  127. 127.

    Oblio

    Just finished reading ‘The Mueller Report’ and was left fuming and infuriated. Now reading Isaac Asimov’s ‘The Foundation Trilogy’, a massive tome I re-read every decade or so. This time around, the tale of 1,000 years of human sociopathy mixed in with ‘2001’ and ‘Dallas’ has me more enthralled than ever. Movie-wise, ‘Echo in the Canyon’ was UH-mazing, while ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ was fun but somewhat disappointing with incredible turns by DiCaprio and Pitt.

  128. 128.

    Yarrow

    @The Dangerman: They’re just all trending items. Trending topics can be completely unrelated. In this case the movie appears to be about Fox News and its abuse scandal, so that’s at least tangentially related to politics.

  130. 130.

    chrisanthemama

    “A Thousand Small Sanities” by Adam Gopnick. “Revive Us Again” by Rev. Dr. William Barber. “The Man Who Sold America” by Joy-Ann Reid. Saw Marc Cohn/Blind Boys of Alabama/Taj Mahal last weekend in an outdoor concert. There are good things to focus on.

  131. 131.

    Brachiator

    @humboldtblue:

    I think the really interesting thing about Crowe is how he purchased his hometown rugby club and led them from near bankruptcy to a championship.

    I wonder who they will get to play Crowe in the movie version of this story.

  134. 134.

    Betty Cracker

    @The Dangerman:

    I’m beginning to think that things are going to get so bad in the polls that Trump might pull a Johnson (now, THERE’S an image). I mean, stand down for re-election. I don’t think his psyche can afford losing and he’ll do the “I was the greatest President ever, you don’t deserve me, and fuck all of you” speech and retire to a golf course (after pardoning himself, of course).

    That has occurred to me too. Interestingly, there are rumors flying around that Trump is going to replace Pence with Nikki Haley. She addressed it, which is pretty weird:

    Hmmmm!

  135. 135.

    elllie

    We really liked The Method on Netflix and are currently making our way through Goliath on Amazon

  136. 136.

    The Dangerman

    @Betty Cracker:

    …there are rumors flying around that Trump is going to replace Pence with Nikki Haley.

    Not gonna happen; the Evangelicals love Pence.

  140. 140.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Audible.com has an in-house production entitled “Screwball.” It’s a hilarious, semi-surrealistic “book” about Babe Ruth’s shortened season in the minors. It’s only 39 mins long and well worth the time.

  143. 143.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Betty Cracker: my personal theory is that Haley, like Christie, is trying to walk a line, loyal to trump in the media, but keeping a distance from the actual administration, just in case Manafort is ever willing to spill because of state charges, or Putin decides it would benefit, or amuse, him to reveal more information, or the tax returns become public, or….
    Saying this now is either because those rumors are churning behind the scenes, or Haley just wants people to know that trump would dump Pence for her is she were willing (which I think might well be true).

    as for trump walking away, I thought for a while that might happen, but now I’m in the camp of those saying he needs to cling to office to stay out of jail

  145. 145.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Betty Cracker: I don’t think the PTB would let Pence stay at the top of the ticket. He’s weak, weird and doesn’t have any of trump’s toxic charisma for the rubes. I think Haley would actually be a stronger nominee– like Bush, she can talk to Wall St and the church basements without scaring the suburbanites, and doesn’t project dumb the way Bush did (at least from what I’ve seen of her). And the bonus of “Oh yeah? if we’re so ‘racist’ then how come we nominated a woman of color?”

  146. 146.

    Roger Moore

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    as for trump walking away, I thought for a while that might happen, but now I’m in the camp of those saying he needs to cling to office to stay out of jail

    I think Trump’s best hope of avoiding prison time is to spend the rest of his miserable life in a country without an extradition treaty. He’s done enough that we can’t let him go with some platitude about not criminalizing political differences.

  147. 147.

    Emma

    I’ve become addicted to the Old Time Radio detective shows on YouTube. Interesting times. Sidney Greenstreet as Nero Wolfe, Vincent Price as the Saint, Rathbone and Bruce as their usual selves, even, amazingly, song-and-dance man Dick Powell as Richard Diamond. They have all the weaknesses of their times but they are firmly on the side of truth, justice, and, wonder of wonders, rationality.

  148. 148.

    Brachiator

    Hmmm. Didn’t realize that the Rolling Stones will play at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Thursday. Area traffic should be interesting.

    Anybody got tickets?

  149. 149.

    John Revolta

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    And the bonus of “Oh yeah? if we’re so ‘racist’ then how come we nominated a woman of color?”

    This is what’s going to make her very attractive to the GOP. I don’t think they’re quite ready to put her on top of the ticket though. A Ryan/Haley ticket however………………………….

  150. 150.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Personal PSA: On today’s ‘On the Road’ thread, Another Scott asked why the “Download” option was not present at the shopping cart at my site, it is available now.

  153. 153.

    TomatoQueen

    I was amused to see somewhere (Talksport, prolly) that David Ginola, former hunk, is taking his coaching badges now (Mr Hustle, indeed) and would love to manage TOON. Meanwhile, we have descended from a proper manager to Steve Bruce and somehow must play Spurs next, without benefit of our not-too-foul strike partnership, since vanished elsewhere, or anyone else worth a damn either. Along with such dubious innovations as VAR, can we have one where TOON throws in the towel in September instead of making us endure an entire season of this shower of shite?
    Better, to accompany the phenomenon of 1619: Everybody Chime In, is a nice little piece in today’s WaPo about the town of Aberdeen, in the Hampton, VA area, which was begun in 1936 or so and continues to thrive, in spite of at least one attempt to displace the citizens, which was stopped by Mrs Roosevelt. “They shall not be moved,” she said. While I defer to no-one in my desire to go up to Hyde Park some dark night and see what might be accomplished with a backhoe, I remember that really it’s both of them we need.
    Carli Lloyd? Certainly.
    While in hospital recently I was able to hold on to the covers of a book called “A Good Place to Hide,” long enough to finish it. It’s the latest entry in a long thoughtful skirmish about hiding French Jews and other refugees up on the mountains, the who and the how and the why, during the Occupation. No one seems to agree about why it worked so well for so long, or whether it is something that people can summon the courage to do in the course of ordinary events, but it dwarfs most heroic tales and makes the present crew of low lifes and low quality hires diminish to so small as to be inconsequential.
    Also, too, when really desperate I play “The Post” and “All the President’s Men” back to back and feel a little better.

  155. 155.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    my god this man makes it hard sometimes

    David M. Drucker @ DavidMDrucker
    “Some of you voted for Donald Trump … My party stopped talking to you.” @JoeBiden in NEWTON, Iowa.

  156. 156.

    Tulip

    If you like British procedurals I just watched Season 2 of The Unforgotten (on Amazon prime). Season 3 is out, but you have to subscribe to PBS. And if you have BritBox, I’m not sure if I hate or love this show Mum. It’s very funny, but also frustrating. :) But absolutely worth your while.

  158. 158.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @karen marie: Unfortunately, the Pottery Throwdown (which we loved) was cancelled, in part, because of the success of Bake Off (which we also love) and BBC not wanting to have 2 shows so similar. Big bummer.

    For our Brittish, relaxing show we’ve been watching the Narrow Boat series on Prime. The guy is kind of annoying, but the scenery of the canals and locks etc., makes it well worth it.

  159. 159.

    Original Lee

    Holey Moley is a spoof game show, just right for summer. Miniature golf tournament with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor. Oddly addictive, in that one show at a time is enough for a while, but pretty soon you’re craving the next episode.

  160. 160.

    les

    Well, escapist shit ftw.
    Music–Johnny Lang (just saw, don’t know how I missed him before): hard, hard blues; guitar like SRV or Jimmie H.
    Book: American Gods. Kinda old, but lordy–won every Sci Fi and Fantasy award in the English speaking world when it came out. And pretty much anything else Gaiman wrote.
    TV–Derry Girls (Netflix). Especially if you’re ex-catholic and old enough to remember the Troubles.

  161. 161.

    mrmoshpotato

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Unfortunately, the Pottery Throwdown (which we loved) was cancelled, in part, because of the success of Bake Off

    The other part was them throwing the pottery. Hours of wasted time, and shards everywhere!

  164. 164.

    TenguPhule

    David Fahrenthold
    ✔
    @Fahrenthold
    NEW: Judge rules that @realdonaldTrump can appeal whether Congressional Dems have the right to sue him over the “Emoluments Clause.” Which means the only surviving emoluments-clause lawsuit is now on hold.wapo.st/2P8Gx37?tid=ss_tw …

    Federal judge allows Trump to appeal lawsuit over foreign payments accepted by his hotels
    The decision is a setback for critics who hope the courts will find him in violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clauses.

    washingtonpost.com
    374
    10:12 AM – Aug 21, 2019

    And another blow on the legal front.

    Fucking Republican Judges.

  165. 165.

    TenguPhule

    Julia E. Ainsley
    ✔
    @JuliaEAinsley
    Exclusive: Trump admin considering executive order that would allow states and local jurisdictions to say no to taking in refugees. Experts say this would restrict future administrations from increasing the overall number resettled. nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/trump-admin-weighs-letting-states-cities-deny-entry-refugees-approv… …

    Trump admin weighs letting states, cities deny entry to refugees
    A draft order obtained by NBC News says the government “will resettle refugees only where both the relevant state and local governments have consented.”

    nbcnews.com
    95
    6:00 AM – Aug 21, 2019

    JFC.

  166. 166.

    UncleEbeneezer

    If you like historically based crime dramas, check out Snowfall. It’s the story of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles in the early 80’s. It’s some of John Singleton’s work, without the preachy MESSAGE moments that plagued some of his other stuff. Amazing cast, griping tension, jaw-dropping surprises, wonderfully shot, great music etc., all in the 80’s SoCal setting. You’d never guess that Damson Idris (Franklin, the main character) has a strong Brittish accent in real life. It’s even better than Narcos, Imo (though we loved the first season.)

    Also the new season of The Terror looks awesome with a story centered around Japanese-Americans and Manzanar. We are currently watching season 1, in the Arctic, which is fantastic.

  167. 167.

    Heidi Mom

    Betty, if you stream Netflix you can ease the Game of Thrones withdrawal: Richard Madden in Bodyguard, for which he won a Golden Globe, and in the first season of Medici, in which he played Cosimo (“the Builder,” Lorenzo’s grandfather); Kit Harington in MI-5, a spy thriller; and Kristofer Hivju in The Last King, a historically based tale set in medieval Norway. I enjoyed all of them.

  168. 168.

    TenguPhule

    Trump tells the crowd he won’t use his some-time new campaign slogan: ‘Keep America Great’.

    “I won’t say it here because this is not a campaign speech,” Trump says. Then he says: “Keep America Great.”

    BRING ON THE FUCKING ASTEROID.

  169. 169.

    Mary G

    I needed an escape so I just finished listening to all nine audio books about Fitz and the Fool by Robin Hobb. Didn’t take too long to get them from the library on Overdrive and I am sad to have finished.

  171. 171.

    Jay

    Rick Perry, The Man In Charge Of American Nuclear Weapons, Fell For An Instagram Hoax
    “I’d like to introduce you to a Nigerian prince,” read one comment from an Instagram user mocking the energy secretary for being gullible.
    David Mack
    David Mack
    BuzzFeed News Reporter
    Updated on August 21, 2019, at 11:32 a.m. ET
    Posted on August 21, 2019, at 8:09 a.m. ET

    Instagram / Via Instagram: @governorperry
    Secretary Rick Perry, the man tasked with overseeing America’s vast nuclear arsenal in his capacity as head of the Department of Energy, fell victim to a hoax on Instagram on Tuesday.

    In what is essentially the Instagram version of forwarding a chain email, the former Texas governor, 69, reposted a screenshot of a message falsely claiming the social media company was changing its privacy policy and would make public all users’ posts, including deleted messages. It also suggested the company could somehow “use your photos.”

    The message also falsely claimed that any Instagram user who objected to the change could repost the message in order to stop the company.

    “With this statement, I give notice to Instagram it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents,” the message read.

    “Instagram DOES NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO SHARE PHOTOS OR MESSAGES,” it ended.

    [Related: What to Do If the Older People in Your Life Are Sharing False or Extreme Content]

    The message was posted to his personal account, @governorperry, as well as his Twitter account. He also has a separate account, @secretaryperry, to showcase his official government work with the Energy Department.

    A spokesperson for Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, told BuzzFeed News, “There’s no truth to this post.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Instagram / Via instagram.com
    Variations of this hoax have gone viral over the years in connection with different social platforms. As far back as 2012, an almost identical message — complete with the same reference to a nonexistent “Channel 13 News” report — went viral about Facebook, prompting the company to publicly debunk the “copyright meme”:

    There is a rumor circulating that Facebook is making a change related to ownership of users’ information or the content they post to the site. This is false. Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms. They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been.

    Perry was not alone in falling for the hoax this week; a number of celebrities also reposted the hoax to their millions of followers, helping to spread the misinformation even further.

    Julia Roberts, Debra Messing, Usher, and Julianne Moore were among the celebs who fell for it.

    After he posted the fake meme, Perry was roundly ridiculed as gullible across social media.

  172. 172.

    Heidi Mom

    Book recommendation: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (2019). It’s both a mystery and a literary novel, about the disappearance of two young girls in the Russian territory of Kamchatka. It starts out as a standard police procedural and them becomes an exploration of the lives of all the people who are touched by the investigation. A fascinating look at a place I knew nothing about.

  174. 174.

    Kayla Rudbek

    And on the escapist reading front, I’ve been binging on Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper series. I’m not sure whether to call it SF or fantasy, as there’s space travel, magic inns and innkeepers, werewolves, and vampires. There’s only four books in the series right now. The same author team also has another series, Hidden Legacy, with powerful magic-wielders in a modern Texas setting that’s also very good.

    And then I found out last night that Lois McMaster Bujold has a new Penric and Desdemona novella out.

  178. 178.

    Jeffery

    I enjoyed this:

    The Heart’s Invisible Furies
    by John Boyne

    Cyril Avery is not a real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he?

    Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.

    At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from – and over his three score years and ten, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more.

    In this book we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reading it.

  179. 179.

    Mel

    Mindhunter” is good so far, as is “City On a Hill”, if you are looking for some intelligently written crime drama. If you haven’t seen “Southland”, that’s an (older, but) excellent show as well. Regina King is stellar (as she always is) in “Southland”.

    I just watched “One Mississippi”, Tig Notaro’s semi-biographical series. I came to it late, and still can’t believe how subtle and poignant and also truly funny it is. Can’t believe they cancelled it, but there are two binge-worthy seasons of it available.

    If you’re looking for some really well-written sci-fi with good effects and a great cast, “The Expanse” is excellent.

    For slapstick, silly, sometimes a little gruesome modern horror/fantasy, “Wynonna Earp” has a clever premise and is fun, if you can stick with it through the second and third episodes, which are pretty clunky. It gets better and better as the show rolls on into the second and third seasons.

    Somewhere between “The Expanse” and “Wynonna Earp” in tone are a couple of space sci-fi goodies that are worth watching: “Killjoys”, and “Dark Matter”.

    “American Gods” might be the one to watch first. Hands down, it’s fabulous.

    If you’re in the mood for a quietly good BBC historical drama, “Lark Rise to Candleford” is older, but great fun to watch, with a few tearjerker moments.

    Hope this helps!

  181. 181.

    NotMax

    Without duplicating any of the above suggestions (some of which i concur with, others not so much), and for the moment sticking only to non-subtitled fare and only to Prime, a few:

    Suspense: Patriot – slow -building espionage series with a decidedly outre manner
    History: Impossible Peace – the years between WW1 and WW2, mesmerizingly laid out
    Britcom: The Royal – dedicated but sometimes struggling small hospital in Yorkshire during the 60s, with a side order of offbeat
    Ozcom: Rake – a brash defense lawyer with, shall we say, a checkered lifestyle
    Broad comedy: Empty Space (the series, not the similarly named movie) – rollicking goings-on while mounting a production of Romeo & Juliet
    SF: Charlie Jade – joint Canadian/South African production; thoughtful, action-packed different take on the alternate universes trope; fair warning about sex and violence
    Mysterious: Booth at the End – Enigmatic ‘fixer’ talks with prospective clients at a diner. That’s it, but it works superbly.

    @Emma

    Lurve me some old time radio. Might I humbly suggest checking out Vic and Sade, at one time the most popular program in the nation. Humor in a gentle, homespun and unabashedly surreal vein. If you ‘get it’ once a few episodes are under the belt, you’ll be hooked.

  182. 182.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I don’t mind Biden in theory and I know what he’s doing here, but jesus h christ the last thing I want to hear is how Democrats are to blame for not wanting to coddle or be friends with Republicans who voted in a vile shitstain of a racist human being.

  183. 183.

    MisterForkbeard

    @TenguPhule: So I guess the conservative legal position is that Emoluments (despite being in the constitution) doesn’t really matter and even if it did, no one actually has the right to do anything about it other than… the guy handpicked by the president? Niiiice.

  184. 184.

    dimmsdale

    @Damned_at_Random: You may know there was a darn good British series based on those books; I came across it recently and was impressed at the writing and the acting (AND that the actors did many of their own animal-med-tech stunts; working with rambunctious horses in enclosed spaces, putting gloved arms straight up a cow’s tweedle de dee, and so on. Maintained the sensibility of the books well, I thought. It’s around streaming someplace I’m pretty sure.

  185. 185.

    les

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    And then I found out last night that Lois McMaster Bujold has a new Penric and Desdemona novella out.

    She just keeps doin’ it, doesn’t she? This is a lovely little series. And getting not so little, I guess.

  186. 186.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    One more which left off the shortlist.

    Slapstick: Miranda – Break the fourth wall Britcom with the talented, irrepressible Miranda Hart

  187. 187.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @TenguPhule: one of the reforms we need is to kick every single member of the Federalist Society out of the legal profession for life.

  189. 189.

    debbie

    I just finished reading Nickel Boys. Horror at the history and Awe at the author’s talent.

  191. 191.

    TheronWare

    Let’s see, Spider-Man Far From Home and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood were VERY good. In terms of TV series, I’m loving me some AHS Cult. I’ll eventually see the third and final season of Into The Badlands and 8th season of The Walking Dead. That should do it for now.

  192. 192.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    Looking back at what I dashed off, The Royal is much better described as a British dramedy. “Britcom” way overemphasizes any comedic elements.

  196. 196.

    Chris Johnson

    King of the Jews, eh?

    I think that’s someone’s little joke, and it’s not Trump’s. I think it’s somebody who knows better than anyone, that our President is gonna end up dying nailed to something… and sooner than we think.

  197. 197.

    Miss Bianca

    @NotMax: Loved Miranda Hart in Call the Midwife, I would love to see her on her own. Her show probably not available on DVD tho’, I imagine, which is how I do the vast majority of my viewing.

    Right now, because I’m on one of my periodic Robin Hood kicks, am watching Robin of Sherwood, a weird mid-80s British TV series. Parts of it are cool, but a lot of it is just head-scratchingly bizarre to me. Plus the weird New Space Age-y Enya-era-Clannad soundtrack somehow manages to be cloying, hilarious and earwormy all at once.

  198. 198.

    debbie

    @delk:

    I loved Sacre Bleu, and I especially loved the packaging (the dead tree version). It was clearly very well thought out.

    ETA: I forgot to congratulate you on your recovery!

  199. 199.

    Jay

    DA WHITEWASHED NEO-NAZI IN ASSAULT TRIAL FROM 2017 TRUMP MAGA RALLY
    R. SCOTT MOXLEY | POSTED ON AUGUST 21, 2019

    When twice slapped in the face by 5-foot-4-inch college student Jessica Aguilar during a clash between white supremacists and anti-fascists at a March 2017 pro-Donald Trump rally in Huntington Beach, neo-Nazi antagonizer Tyler Laube laughed it off as inconsequential.

    But to Deputy District Attorney Laila Nikaien, the slaps warranted arrest, prosecution, consumption of public resources for more than two years, 25 court appearances and the chance to put Aguilar, a member of Antifa, in jail for a year, while giving Laube another opportunity to laugh.

    Though the neo-Nazis committed the most brutal acts of violence during the rally, including Laube’s unprovoked pummeling of then-OC Weekly intern Frank John Tristan, local prosecutors decided to pursue charges against only one person: Aguilar, a Latina.

    ocweekly.com/white-supremacist-antifa-trump/#.XV2clCRCRwM.twitter

  201. 201.

    jonas

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’ve been thinking about Putin recently and was wondering if he might not see it in his interest to dump a bunch of shit on Trump — evidence of 2016 collusion, money laundering, peeing prostitutes, whatever — a month before the election, so as to appear to be favoring the Democratic candidate. The whole election descends into turmoil as Trump accuses Democrats of collusion, vows to cancel the election, declare martial law, etc., even as the Dem-controlled House launches impeachment hearings. I hope the top-tier candidates are gaming something like this out and having conversations about how they’d handle it. I don’t think it’s a crazy scenario.

    It’s not Trump per se that Putin supports; it’s simply sowing chaos in American politics, thus weakening the US’s ability to be a credible actor on the world stage. As the Russian economy stagnates, protests grow, and stuff like that nuclear missile project head south, he may become more desperate.

  203. 203.

    JMG

    @Damien: The story, possibly true, is that William Faulkner was one of the writers called in to whip “The Big Sleep” into something that could end with Bogey and Bacall walking off into the sunset. Faulkner could not figure out if the character who drove his car off a pier had been murdered or committed suicide. So he called Raymond Chandler, whose answer was “damned if I know.”
    I read the Aubrey-Maturin novels years ago, and they’re OK, but my one sentence review would be “Jane Austen but with cannonballs.”

  205. 205.

    dimmsdale

    thanks for the recommendations, all, I have a special lined pad handy for threads like this. I’ll just add a few preferences of my own:

    endorse Corner Gas (you can watch S1 Ep1 on Youtube to see if it’s your cup of tea)
    endorse The Good Fight: I don’t know how it’s possible to write a series that well. Just astounding, every episode.
    Loved (and bought) all 3 seasons of The Detectorists (wry dry very funny series about 2 English buddies who metal-detect as a hobby)
    A French Village (distributed by TMZ, which has some tremendous foreign-language, subtitled TV fare) about the Nazi occupation of a small French town from 1940-1945 (with modern-day catch-ups on some of the characters).
    The Bridge, also a TMZ series, a joint Danish/Swedish police procedural series featuring a female detective who’s ‘on the spectrum’;

    And my all-time favorite (older) series for repeated binge-watching every couple of years: Leverage, a caper/grifter show in which (somewhat) reformed master thieves take down corporate thugs and criminals (based, btw, on REAL instances of corporate malfeasance). (Never more relevant than today.)

  207. 207.

    Miss Bianca

    @dimmsdale: I started watching “Leverage”, then got distracted, and now can’t remember whether I’ve completed season 4 or season 5!

  208. 208.

    NotMax

    @dimmsdale

    Coincidentally, added A French Village to my Prime queue only last night. For whatever reasons, only seasons 1, 3 & 4 are currently available for free.

    Couple of other noteworthy French series (either Prime, Netflix, or both): The Returned (series about back from the dead but not zombified folks suddenly showing up, includes one of the spookiest kids ever) and Spiral (ultra-gritty police homicide department series).

  209. 209.

    dimmsdale

    @Miss Bianca: Pick a season, any season! Actually, the characters do have their own developmental arcs through the entire run, but the plots and episodes are structured similarly (the fun is always in “how it’s done” in terms of getting back at the rich F**s). PS, the show’s creator, John Rogers, maintains a series doesn’t become what it “is” until Season 3, so …

  210. 210.

    dimmsdale

    @NotMax: I LOVE Spiral; couple of the actors from it are also in Fr. Village. (I watch everything on DVD from the public library; your system might have all 7 seasons of Fr. Village.)

  211. 211.

    Cathie Fonz (formerly Cathie from Canada)

    @Ascap_scab: LOVE Corner Gas. Its the story of our province really. It was filmed in Rouleau SK and there’s never been a tv series like it.

  212. 212.

    Miss Bianca

    @dimmsdale: I was starting to get annoyed with how Christian Kane’s character was turning into Super Duper Man, able to dodge bullets when not catching them in his teeth and spitting them back at the bad guys. But it is a fun show, regardless. May just take a chance and start Season Four, even if I have already seen it.

  214. 214.

    Jay

    Ready for a laugh?

    Hit up @SheriffClarke’s timeline.

    He stormed off Twitter a month ago but keeps posting every day or two to beg people to follow him to another platform.

    It’s… wow… OMG… ????????????— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) August 21, 2019

  216. 216.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Yarrow:

    Trump thinks he’s the King of Israel/King of the Jews, which also makes him the Antichrist.

    Just FTR – Since the Unauguration (20 Jan 2017) if not before, I have noted repeatedly that if one presented an (anonymous) list of Cheeto Benito’s salient characteristics to an Endtimer, s/he would be unable to distinguish it from a description of the Antichrist.

  217. 217.

    Lymie

    @Damned_at_Random: Excellent choice. Been watching “Yorkshire Vet”, a reality show based in the real life Skeldale Yorkshire practice of the fellow who was Herriot. It is a bit repetitive, but charming (another calf stuck! another dog leg broken!) I wish Yorkshire Vet would collaborate with Dr. Jeff……

  218. 218.

    Amir Khalid

    @humboldtblue:
    You misspelled my name, and I am heartbroken.

    @TomatoQueen:
    If Ginola is only now taking his coaching badges, what’s he been doing all this while? In any case, a newly minted coach is quite a few years away from being ready to manage a struggling Premier League side, especially one owned by Mike Ashley who managed to drive away Rafa Benitez — who is no slouch at club politics.

  221. 221.

    dimmsdale

    @Miss Bianca: I know, one of the difficulties I have with Leverage is how sped-up it all feels; I wouldn’t mind if Kane’s fight sequences were slowed just a tad, just as I wouldn’t mind if all the characters had a touch more time to Kubler-Ross things a little more. They only had 40-some minutes to tell pretty complicated stories, though. Of course, (and I really will stop now) Rogers wrote up the shows on his blog, fielding fan questions (here’s his post-game on Season 5’s The Very Big Bird Job, which involved a caper-esque theft of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose:

    kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2012/08/leverage-501-very-big-bird-job-post-game.html

    and with that, I’m going to go wash off some of this Geek I seem to have all over me.

  222. 222.

    Inspectrix

    This past winter I binged on the British series Foyle’s war which was recommended in the comments here a while back. Foyle rivals Inspector Gamache for king of the principled of detective heroes. Plus the stories often have basis in real historical events.
    If you can get past the title Jane the Virgin is well worth exploring as a TV series. Beyond the soapiness is a show with a heart of gold and the funniest narrator of all time.
    I recommend the following book pairing: the Hidden Life of Trees which is a beautifully written summary of the current state of knowledge about trees and how they communicate with one another. I recommend reading this followed by Richard powers the Overstory which has rightly won awards. I’m pretty sure the botanist character would have been a balloon juice fan!
    Prior to reading 1619 I’m trying to finish the podcast Scene on Radio’ Seeing White about the long and deliberate history of creating the concept of whiteness in the US. Even if you think you’re informed, I bet this show lifts the lid on some preconceptions.

  223. 223.

    Mnemosyne

    @J R in WV:

    I have Shades of Milk and Honey that I bought in SF while bookstore browsing with Major^4.

    I wanted to buy a different book in the series, but he was a little freaked out that I would read a series out of order and I didn’t want to disturb my host.

  224. 224.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Back on topic here: About a year ago I stumbled onto a Baltimore County Public Library copy of Dark State by Charles Stross, which is volume 2 of his Empire Games series, or volume 8 if you include the 6 volumes of the Merchant Princes series that leads into it. One of the wilder cross-timelines sagas out there, it started out as a fantasy to end-run a book contract & has evolved toward hard(ish) SF. (Stross even got praise from Paul Krugman for the “world-walking” economics he worked out,) Subsequently I found volume 1/7 (Empire Games) at the BCPL.

    The Merchant Princes volumes have been damn hard to track down. I stumbled onto paperbacks of volumes 1 and 3 (The Family Trade; The Clan Corporate) at The Book Thing of Baltimore a few weeks ago & concluded it was a sign from doG that I should make a serious effort to obtain & read/reread all the extant volumes in the proper order before volume 3/9 (Invisible Sun) comes out (either near Turkey Day or St. Paddy’s depending on who you believe).

    So: Snagged volume 4 (The Merchants’ War) from the Enoch Pratt Free Library central branch, picked up volume 2 via Inter-Library Loan (from rural Caroline County on the Eastern Shore, of all places), & plowed through the first 4; now waiting on ILL to procure volumes 5 & 6 (The Revolution Business; The Trade of Queens); then back to BCPL.

    Meanwhile I am about 3/4 of the way through the >1200 pages of A History of Modern Poetry by David Perkins (2 vols., 1976, 1987) – a surprisingly enjoyable read (at least for those of us who’ve actually read &/or tried to write the stuff, I guess).

    /yeah, yeah, I know, TMI

  225. 225.

    zhena gogolia

    @Inspectrix:

    If you like Foyle you might like Anthony Horowitz’s Hawthorne novels — The Word Is Murder and The Sentence Is Death (he created Foyle). We enjoyed them.

    Sullivan’s Travels is on TCM tonight, 8:00 ET!

  226. 226.

    joel hanes

    Great reads :
    Dorothy Dunnett’s two series, Lymond and Nicolo. Challenging to start, but tremendously rewarding. IMHO the best historical fiction.
    Sharon Kay Penman’s _The_Sunne_In_Splendor_ : the wars of the roses in excellent historical fiction
    Dorothy Sayers’s Lord Peter Wimsey anglophile detective novels: gloriously erudite and witty, superb prose. Start with _Murder_Must_Advertise_, _Strong_Poison_, end with _Gaudy_Night_ and finally _Busman’s_Honeymoon_

  228. 228.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @West of the Rockies: Wasn’t Mike Epstein famous for his interminable at-bats? Step out of the box after every pitch, unfasten batting gloves, refasten batting gloves, hike pants, adjust cup, take a couple of practice swings, step back in, dig back foot in, pound bat on plate a few times… If it’s the guy I’m thinking of, he was known to broadcasters as “The Human Rain Delay”…

  229. 229.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Amir Khalid:

    Damn it, I’m sorry. (I remember the day you and I met in this comment section, Betty had just posted her first post and I was cursing both John and Kevin [RumpRoast from whence Betty came] and F-bombing my way through a tongue-in-cheek diatribe about RumpRoast losing the funniest blogger on the planet.)

  230. 230.

    FelonyGovt

    I saw Where’d You Go, Bernadette yesterday. It’s gotten lousy reviews, but I really enjoyed it and Cate Blanchett is an astonishing actress.

  231. 231.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Origuy:

    I’m finally getting around to reading the Harry Potter books.

    Oh, *yes*. I remember when the came out in the 90s, and I was all “how lowbrow”. And then, just after Shitlord got in, I was reading here-and-there that what J.K. Rowling had actually done, was write about how to approach life under fascism, where all the organs of society had been suborned. And so I read it. And -that take- was the right take (to me). And I’ve read it (the entire series, of course) twice since, at moments when I feel … bereft, unmoored, terrified.

    And maybe it’s too sweet, too much sugar, not enough vinegar. Idunno. But it does it for me, b/c fuuuck, we’re living in Harry’s world now. Bit-by-bit the Dolores Umbridges are taking over everything we counted on; the people we counted on to shore up our institutions are failing us. And yet. And yet, Ms. Rowling tells us what we must be ready to do.

    And for this, I thank her.

    Comfort food for hard times.

  232. 232.

    Tenar Arha

    I’m gonna recommend The Farewell, Blinded By the Light, & Maiden as all good movies.

    I’d give Farewell the best marks bc of how clever & interesting, well shot & acted it was, though be prepared that it’s could be a tough film to sit through especially if you’ve lost a loved one to lung cancer. Be prepared for feeling like you’re cutting onions.

    I didn’t see Yesterday, because I couldn’t buy the premise that Beatles songs would connect outside of their historical grounding in the 60’s. However, Blinded by the Light was a delightful sentimental coming of age story without leaving your family behind, where even the troubled economy actually does connect to our awful timeline today. Also it reminded me how much I can enjoy Bruce Springsteen’s songs.

    Maiden was just a great documentary, using lots of great original footage, and emphasized not just the facts of how the first all woman crew came together…but made me realize how recent it all was when these women had to fight to compete.

  233. 233.

    Miss Bianca

    @Tenar Arha:

    I didn’t see Yesterday, because I couldn’t buy the premise that Beatles songs would connect outside of their historical grounding in the 60’s.

    I did go see it, and while parts of it were sweet and clever, I thought it suffered from a serious lack of imagination about what the *actual* effects of a Beatles-less world would have been.

  234. 234.

    phein60

    No one has mentioned:

    Bordertown: Finnish (watch with subtitles, the Finnish and Russian are essential) murder-cop show. Great look at Euro-Russian interactions, among other things. Two seasons worth, a third coming.

    Broadchurch: British, so no need for subtitles most of the time. There is a remake of the first season set in the US with David Tennant the lead in both; haven’t seen the American version. Three seasons, and that’s a wrap. Mostly about the effects on a community when a child is found murdered. Olivia Colman before “The Favourite.” Charlotte Rampling in the second season, too. All very good.

    Altered Carbon: Joel Kinnaman from “The Killing” in a sci-fi murder mystery. Very large budget, four episodes in and so far so good. And of course, “The Killing” if you haven’t seen it.

    AVOID: The Frozen Dead. In French. Loses its way after three episodes, becomes intrinsically French (main detective has or has had affairs with all other female characters, no relation to story at large).

  235. 235.

    Denali

    Robert McFarlane’s The Lost Words is a magical book combining poems and paintings of flowers, birds, and plants that were dropped from a children’s dictionary and replaced by new words from technology. It has been put to music and will be performed this Saturday in London. Wish I could be there.

  236. 236.

    Chetan Murthy

    @realbtl: Without even reading the rest of the thread, THANK YOU for this. It is a -pity- that in this moment, we’re reading about Germany as a cautionary tale, when the German people have done *so much more* to atone for their sins, than we have, we Americans. I learn a lot from histories of Nazi Germany (and also the time before (Tooze) and after (Gerwarth, Johnson, Mayer).

    Again: thank you.

  237. 237.

    Chetan Murthy

    @zhena gogolia:

    I’m enjoying The Prime Minister by Trollope.

    It would be remiss if I did not mention that Anthony Trollope is a time-traveling historian who came to the 21st Century to document the travails of the securitized-mortgage-based recession of 2008-etc, in his book _The Way We Live Now_, published in … 1875.

    Insanely great novel. Also, a work of history, containing Angelo Mozilo, “Money Honey” Maria Bartiromo, Henry Blodget, and you and me too!

  238. 238.

    NotMax

    @Chetan Murthy

    Interesting documentary with lots of found archival footage on Prime, Television Under the Swastika, about the little-known commandeering and use of television by the Nazi party.

  239. 239.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Uncle Cosmo: I haven’t been able to get into the Merchant Princes series, but I love the Laundry Files. And Charles Stross is on Twitter as well, and is worth the follow. His blog is good although the comments can be somewhat depressing at times, but then what should I expect from fans of a writer who can come up with stuff almost as bad as the current world, and keeps on getting lapped by current events?

  243. 243.

    Jonothan Cullinane

    @westyny: Great call – but I’d suggest starting with “Dark Star”, which is a masterpiece. Also, his stand-alone novel. “Shadow Trade”, is phenomenal. It’s about a disaffected CIA analyst and is set largely in NYC in the 80s, but it contains a short (maybe two-page) account of how the protagonists met which is the best description of the Vietnam War that I’ve ever read.

  245. 245.

    Jonothan Cullinane

    And may I recommend Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy series, about a Catholic RUC cop in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The audio versions are sublime.

    And speaking of the Troubles, Ed Moloney’s “Voices From The Grave”, an oral history of that terrible period, reads like The Sopranos in Belfast. Shootings, bombings, betrayal on a breath-taking scale, and – because it’s Irish – often very funny. Someone should option it. Infinitely better than “Say Anything”.

  246. 246.

    HeartlandLiberal

    I recently came across the full form of my favorite Zen Buddhist monk joke, which I had known as only a one liner similar to the first line below.

    A Zen master visiting New York City goes up to a hot dog vendor and says, “Make me one with everything.”
    The hot dog vendor fixes a hot dog and hands it to the Zen master, who pays with a $20 bill.
    The vendor puts the bill in the cash box and closes it. “Excuse me, but where’s my change?” asks the Zen master.
    The vendor responds, “Change must come from within.”

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